Scheduling for Instagram has arrived!

While recycling may be second nature for some, others require a little more incentive to separate their food scraps from their milk cartons. RecycleToCoin is a new app that endeavours to increase recycling in the UK by encouraging users to recycle their rubbish for crytopcurrency. Once the user has downloaded the app (available on iOS and Android) they simply take their recyclables to their nearest participating store and scan a QR code. From there, users can sit back and watch their bank of crypto-pennies grow. These can then be turned into gift cards, Bitcoin or Ether, or donated to Plastic Bank, an organisation that helps to clean up plastic pollution worldwide.

Social Media Specialists rejoiced late last week as Instagram announced that you can now schedule posts on the social network. Provided you are signed up as a business account and are using an approved third-party scheduling service, users will be able to schedule weeks worth of content rather than manually uploading after hours and on weekends. Scheduling support for personal Instagram accounts is coming too, but that will be in early 2019 according to Instagram.

Many of us don’t have time to binge on the Winter Olympics on TV, so Snapchat has offered a new way for people to watch the competition in their own time. Similarly to how Snapchat has previously presented breaking news events, the app showcases raw content from athletes and attendees that is very different to what you’d find on traditional media channels. Everyday of the Games, Snapchat has been running two ‘Our Stories’, where the channel curates snaps from important figures and highlights of the day, including behind-the-scenes action. More Games content from publishers is available in Snapchat Discover, as well as some live coverage of events. If you don’t have the app, you can check out some of the Games’ Stories with Snap Maps.

Travel health insurance can be a costly addition to a holiday and not exactly the first thing on our minds as we lock in tickets for an exotic few weeks away. Enter Revolut, an app that not only promises peace of mind for travellers by providing medical and dental insurance that’s been automatically linked to your location, but also claims to offer “protection for less than the cost of an espresso”. Revolut works by connecting users to global third-party agencies. Powered by geolocation technology, the app recognizes when users are at home and automatically switches off the coverage.

We’ve seen Boston Dynamics’ dog robots progress over time, and each update can either terrify or excite viewers with its advancements. Boston Dynamics’ most recent update features the dog-like SpotMini, which has now learned how to open, hold and go through doors. Although you might have seen similar behaviour from other robots, the video shows the SpotMini locate, recognise and operate a door handle with an articulating arm and clamp. It then holds the door for its arm-less robot companion and follows through after it. What’s next for these freakishly dog-like robots?

Juniper Jones, a New York content agency teamed up with rock band Starset to take their set to the next level using augmented reality. Concert-goers were instructed to download the Starset app that, once acquired, started a countdown for the concert to begin. As the countdown ended, the lights faded and a huge spaceship entered the room, flying across the ceiling and landing on the stage as attendees watched on through their smartphones. Other elements such as lighting, digital displays and projection mapping all added physical elements to the virtual story. For those attempting to ‘live in the moment’ and use their smartphones less during an experience, this may not be for you. However, it certainly did set a new precedent for the way concerts may be enjoyed in the future.